On August 16, 1896, a man fishing for salmon near the Klondike River in the Yukon Territory of Canada spotted nuggets of gold in a creek bed.  He sparked the last gold rush in the American West, and left the area with one million dollars in gold.  Many individual gold miners there eventually sold their stakes to mining companies with the resources and also the machinery to access more gold.  By 1966, the area had yielded about $250 million in gold, with about 200 small gold mines still operating.

        “Words from Above” in the Bible tell us that throughout the history of the world people have been excited about the possibility of one day laying a claim to a place in heaven.  There they expect to walk on its streets of gold and take up residence in the mansions built for them by the Son of God named Jesus.  Gold fever causes people to search for gold, but there is usually no guarantee that they will actually find gold.  This is not true of people who are allowed to enter heaven, because they are absolutely guaranteed to have the privilege of walking up and down the streets of gold.

        All of this should remind us that when the Bible makes a promise to us, we can count on that promise being fulfilled.  The apostle Peter tells us in II Peter 3 that “the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is patient with us, and is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.”  He also speaks in II Peter 1:4 about the exceedingly great and precious promises by which we might be partakers of the divine nature and escape the evil corruption in the world resulting from lust.  A far greater promise than walking the street of gold is that we can take on the nature of God, which means that we can become like God.

Peter also speaks about a special hope that we have through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  Peter calls it an incorruptible inheritance that is undefiled,  that never fades away, and is reserved in heaven for us.  Some people are privileged to receive an inheritance in this life here on the earth, but all of God’s faithful followers will receive a spiritual inheritance from God Himself.  Therefore, it is truly important that we confess our sins to Jesus, ask His forgiveness for those sins, and invite Him into our lives in order to be eligible for this spiritual inheritance and the eternal inheritances of heaven when we get there.  So, let’s get the fever.
        Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  For informa-tion, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.